Three generations of Naples family in 4-H

Kate and Erica Wood are carrying on a family legacy.

They are the third generation from their family to belong to 4-H.

Kate, 12, and Erica, 9, raise beef cattle for 4-H in addition to belonging to sewing, cooking, shooting sports, hiking and backpacking, and more.

They got it honest.

The girls' grandfather belonged to 4-H as did their parents, Liz and Bert Wood, owners of Wood's Pine Tree Ranch in Naples. Liz and Bert Wood grew up around 4-H; both went from being youth members to leaders and have been leaders for 33 years.

Liz and Bert Woods' older daughters Leslie Lippert, 27, of Sandpoint; Brenda Kerttu, 25, of Naples; and Amy Robertson, 22, of Bonners Ferry participated in 4-H on local, state and national levels. Today they are leaders.

To count the number of ribbons the Woods' five daughters have won through 4-H would be impossible.

“Last year, Kate probably got 11 blue ribbons and five best of class or championship (ribbons),” Liz Wood said. “That's average for my girls.”

Liz Wood likes that 4-H not only involves youth, but entire families.

“Any program they take . . . the girls know how to cook; they know how to sew,” she said. “It teaches them to be part of the community and to do things for others. 4-H teaches kids to do things as a group and it keeps them out of trouble.”

Erika Thiel, 4-H program coordinator for Boundary County, has 275 youth involved in the program.

“It's much more than cows and cooking,” Thiel said. “There's opportunity to do scrapbooking, photography, woodworking, ATV riding, entomology, shooting sports, model rocketry, and then of course, food, clothing, art and livestock projects.

Children can join 4-H at age 5. Until they are 7, they belong to Cloverbuds, which is non-competitive. Youth can belong to 4-H until they graduate from high school.

“It's a very good opportunity to meet new kids, and grow a love for a hobby or interest,” Thiel said. “We really do a lot of things that build life skills. Our curriculum is based around that, whether working in front of groups, learning to write, learning about personal safety. It's really a lot of fun. The sky's the limit as to what a youth can get involved with.”

The Boundary County Fair, which will run Aug. 12 through 17 in Bonners Ferry, will be used to wrap up this year's 4-H program, just like every other year.

“That's what we use to exhibit projects,” Thiel said.

Enrollment is closed for the year, but will reopen on Oct. 1.

For information, call Thiel at 267-3235.